PROJECT DESIGN Objectives: To understand the technique and processes used to design a project
What is the logical framework approach used to design projects? As mentioned in the previous section, the design phase presented here below in the diagram is organised around four subsequent steps used and followed to design a good, simple and feasible project.
Step 1) Project Identification;
Step 2) Project Formulation;
Step 3) Implementation Planning; and
Step 4) Planning of monitoring and evaluation
Step 1 - Identification is a participatory consultative process that analyses the situation and the problem.
Step 2 - Once the situation has been analysed and understood, the team in charge of the formulation of the project should establish concrete outcomes (objectives and outputs) to achieve, and outline the actions to be taken and the resources needed. It should also establish proper indicators for each objective.
Step 3 - Then, an implementation plan will be devised, based on the logical framework, in order to have both a results-based work plan and a budget.
Step 4 - Finally, your monitoring & evaluation system will be planned and budgeted for.
Phase 2 - Appraising your project
The appraisal is part of project quality control. It is an analytical assessment of the design to ensure that technical and design standards have been met and that the proposal is consistent with the organisation’s strategic or business plan, the priorities of national development frameworks, and the donor criteria before it is presented to a donor to mobilize extra resources for specific projects. Quality control is integrated into the entire project cycle by various means. It should therefore start at the beginning of the design. The project designers must keep quality criteria in mind and must have an appraisal done before submitting the proposal. In the case of an organisation, the appraisal could be done by a small, representative group of members. In the case of an organisation’s support organization, it could be done by other staff members and representatives of stakeholders and the target group. During the implementation phase, the monitoring and evaluation system ensures that the project stays on track. Projects are periodically evaluated to determine the level of achievement of the project objectives during the project and upon completion. Thus, appraisal is one of the quality control mechanisms within the project cycle.
Phase 3 - Submission of the project proposal to the donor, and approval
Once the project document has been formulated, it is submitted to the donor for appraisal. If approved, a contract will be signed and the project document annexed with the budget and timeline. The objectives should be achieved within the budget and deadlines listed in the document.
Phase 4 - Implementation and monitoring of the project
This phase is the concrete implementation of the activities planned in the approved document. The work plan (or implementation plan) is generally prepared at the formulation stage in order to assess its feasibility and plan the needs in terms of human resources, financial resources and time before submission to the donor. In some cases, the work plan will only be prepared if not done at the formulation phase or adjusted. Monitoring takes place throughout the project. It is an internal, participatory process. It allows the organisation to see whether the outputs are being achieved and the resources efficiently and effectively used and to take corrective action when needed. In some cases, the project’s management, organisation stakeholders may decide that the original design was unrealistic, the internal structure or the budget irrelevant or the management incompetent.
Phase 5 - Final evaluation of the project
This is generally conducted at the end of the project to see whether the planned benefits were achieved. Lessons learnt are underlined and could be documented so that they can be replicated or scaled up and integrated into future organisation development strategies and projects.
PROJECT DESIGNObjectives: To understand the technique and processes used to design a project
What is the logical framework approach used to design projects?
As mentioned in the previous section, the design phase presented here below in the diagram is organised around four subsequent steps used and followed to design a good, simple and feasible project.
Step 1 - Identification is a participatory consultative process that analyses the situation and the problem.
Step 2 - Once the situation has been analysed and understood, the team in charge of the formulation of the project should establish concrete outcomes (objectives and outputs) to achieve, and outline the actions to be taken and the resources needed. It should also establish proper indicators for each objective.
Step 3 - Then, an implementation plan will be devised, based on the logical framework, in order to have both a results-based work plan and a budget.
Step 4 - Finally, your monitoring & evaluation system will be planned and budgeted for.
Phase 2 - Appraising your project
The appraisal is part of project quality control. It is an analytical assessment of the design to ensure that technical and design standards have been met and that the proposal is consistent with the organisation’s strategic or business plan, the priorities of national development frameworks, and the donor criteria before it is presented to a donor to mobilize extra resources for specific projects.
Quality control is integrated into the entire project cycle by various means. It should therefore start at the beginning of the design. The project designers must keep quality criteria in mind and must have an appraisal done before submitting the proposal. In the case of an organisation, the appraisal could be done by a small, representative group of members. In the case of an organisation’s support organization, it could be done by other staff members and representatives of stakeholders and the target group.
During the implementation phase, the monitoring and evaluation system ensures that the project stays on track.
Projects are periodically evaluated to determine the level of achievement of the project objectives during the project and upon completion. Thus, appraisal is one of the quality control mechanisms within the project cycle.
Phase 3 - Submission of the project proposal to the donor, and approval
Once the project document has been formulated, it is submitted to the donor for appraisal. If approved, a contract will be signed and the project document annexed with the budget and timeline. The objectives should be achieved within the budget and deadlines listed in the document.
Phase 4 - Implementation and monitoring of the project
This phase is the concrete implementation of the activities planned in the approved document. The work plan (or implementation plan) is generally prepared at the formulation stage in order to assess its feasibility and plan the needs in terms of human resources, financial resources and time before submission to the donor. In some cases, the work plan will only be prepared if not done at the formulation phase or adjusted.
Monitoring takes place throughout the project. It is an internal, participatory process. It allows the organisation to see whether the outputs are being achieved and the resources efficiently and effectively used and to take corrective action when needed. In some cases, the project’s management, organisation stakeholders may decide that the original design was unrealistic, the internal structure or the budget irrelevant or the management incompetent.
Phase 5 - Final evaluation of the project
This is generally conducted at the end of the project to see whether the planned benefits were achieved. Lessons learnt are underlined and could be documented so that they can be replicated or scaled up and integrated into future organisation development strategies and projects.